Maurits van Hetten

Maurits van Hetten
Born	(1898-10-02) 2 October 1898 Paramaribo, Suriname
Occupations	Horse-cart driver Dump-site owner
Years active	1916–1968
Era	Pre-Vader Era Vader Era Middenvader Era Vriend Era
Known for	Founding the Van Hetten family dump site
Spouse	Elisabeth Redmond ​ (m. 1924)​
Children	Ewald van Hetten Wijnand van Hetten
Family	Van Hetten family

Maurits van Hetten (born 2 October 1898) is a retired Surinamese dump-site owner and former horse-cart driver. He founded the Van Hetten family dump site in Paramaribo on 10 August 1924 and managed it until transferring ownership to his son, Wijnand van Hetten, on 1 April 1968. He is also the father of Ewald van Hetten.

Early life

Maurits van Hetten was born in Paramaribo, Suriname, on 2 October 1898. He began working as a horse-cart driver on 6 July 1916, aged 17. Van Hetten transported construction debris from building sites in Paramaribo and saved his earnings to establish his own business.

Using these savings, Van Hetten purchased a cheap undeveloped plot in Paramaribo. He opened it as a private dumping ground for construction debris on 10 August 1924. Horse carts remained the site's main means of transporting waste during its early years.

Career

Van Hetten initially operated the dump site himself. He collected construction debris by horse cart and transported reusable material away from the disposal area when it could be sold or used again.

On 14 March 1936, Van Hetten purchased a Ford Model 51 truck fitted with a wooden-sided tipping body. The truck took over much of the heavier hauling work, although horse carts continued to be used for lighter loads.

The dump site remained open throughout the Second World War. It received debris from civilian building work. Waste from military construction projects around Paramaribo was also deposited there.

Van Hetten expanded the site after the war. On 7 August 1946, it began accepting household waste in addition to construction debris. He purchased a second-hand Ruston-Bucyrus 10-RB cable excavator on 16 July 1947. The machine was configured as a dragline and used to excavate disposal areas and maintain drainage channels.

Van Hetten's eldest son, Ewald, had joined the business full-time on 16 July 1945. Maurits began training him on the Ruston-Bucyrus machine on 6 August 1947. His younger son, Wijnand, began helping at the site after school on 1 September that year.

On 7 August 1951, Van Hetten acquired a Hitachi U06 cable-operated shovel. The machine became Ewald's principal equipment at the dump site. Wijnand later established a separate salvage section on 15 June 1958, where reusable materials and machinery parts were stored.

Van Hetten retired on 1 April 1968 and transferred ownership of the dump site to Wijnand. Ewald continued working there as its principal crane and excavator operator. Maurits continued visiting the site and advising Wijnand until 10 September 1973.

Personal life

Van Hetten married Elisabeth Redmond in Paramaribo on 18 November 1924. Redmond remained outside the dump-site business. Their sons were Ewald, born on 18 November 1927, and Wijnand, born on 9 March 1932.

Van Hetten and Redmond continue to live in Paramaribo.

See also

• Ewald van Hetten
• Wijnand van Hetten
• Henk van Hetten
• Paramarbo
• Van Hetten family
• Van Hetten family members